Kristi Montgomery Earns First Scotland Call-Up

Kristi Montgomery’s rise through the ranks has hit a new gear. The Blackburn Rovers midfielder has been handed her first senior Scotland call-up after Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean withdrew from the Nations League squad.

New head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has promoted the 22-year-old from the Under-21s for a demanding run of fixtures: Slovenia twice, plus meetings with Switzerland and North Macedonia. Montgomery has been a constant for Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn this season, starting all eight of their Championship games and driving the tempo from midfield. Now she steps onto the international stage.

Her opportunity comes amid a reshaped Scotland core. Tierney and McLean – between them owners of 119 caps – drop out, while experienced trio Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland were already unavailable before Pocognoli named his squad. The spine that carried Scotland through recent campaigns suddenly looks very different.

So the door has swung open for fresh faces. Montgomery becomes the eighth uncapped player in a bold 27-strong group, joining Luke Graham, Robbie Ure, Luis Binks, Colby Donovan, Jon McCracken, Josh McPake and Stephen Welsh. It is not a gentle tweak; it is a clear injection of new blood.

There is also a strong element of reunion. Oli McBurnie, Scott Bain, Kieron Bowie, Josh Doig, Lennon Miller and James Wilson all earn recalls, while Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour returns to the fold after injury ruled him out of the World Cup. His absence was keenly felt; his comeback changes the shape and rhythm of Scotland’s midfield options.

Big calls mean big omissions. Dominic Hyam, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst, Grant Hanley, Anthony Ralston and Ross Stewart are among those left out by Pocognoli as he stamps his authority on the squad list. Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher, who filled in for Gilmour during the USA trip, drops back to the Under-21s with the senior playmaker fit again.

For Montgomery, though, the picture is simple. She arrives from the Under-21s with form, fitness and a starting jersey at club level. Now she walks into a Scotland camp in transition, with a new coach, a reworked hierarchy and Nations League points on the line.

This is not just a first call-up. It is a chance to claim a place in the next version of Scotland.